Tobacco feeding mechanism



` 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. P. BURNING TOBACCO FEEDING MEGHANISM 'Filed Feb. 7, 1940 1,1111 Ill Feb. 16, 1943. J.'P. BURNING TOBACCO FEEDI-NG MECHANISM Filed Feb. '7, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 M QN w A .ww N l@ u ..l-.\ .W 4 NNN. NNN l b1 s, n" NM J n m @E ww @c N l w JAMES P. DURNIVNG j.crrORNliYl INVENTOR Patented Feb. 16, 1943 TOBACCO FEEDING MECHANISM James l. Burning, St. Albans, N. assigner to International Cigar Machinery Company, a

corporation of- New 'Jersey Application February 7,519. serial No. 317.616

Claims. (Cpl. ISI-108) This invention relates' to tobacco feeding mechanism, and more particularly to improvements in devices for feeding short filler tobacco' of a relatively small size. l

According to my invention short filler tobacco is confined in a hopper provided with side' and rear walls and a substantially horizontal bottom, and means are furnished to cooperate with the hopper in confining a supply of short 'ller tobacco. In feeding some types of short filler tobacco, there have been used .with this type of hopper movable rakes which are placed at the hopper outlet and serve bothto confine and. control the movement of the tobacco from the supply contained inthe hopper by virtue of the movement of the rakes relative -to themselves andthe mass.

of tobacco conned in the hopper.

However when small scrap is used the rakes in themselves generally are not suicient to hold the tobacco in the hopper because the tobacco will ow through them and flow uncontrolled from part of this specification and wherein. the several reference characters designate the sameor like the hopper along the delivery portion which forms a part thereof, thereby upsetting the proper operation of the cigar machine with which the hopper is used.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide mechanism for feeding small short filler tobacco wherein means are furnished to prevent an uncontrolled iiow of the tobacco from the container in which the supply is stored.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a hopper having side and rear walls extending upward from a tobacco supporting bottom in which confining means assist in holding the tobacco in the hopper and controlling itsiiow therefrom during feeding operations.

It is an additional object of my invention to provide an adjustably mounted control memberf for storing a quantity'of small scrap tobacco in" a hopper so that controlled quantities of tobacco canfbe fed from. the hopper.

My invention also consists in the provision of a hopper provided with a. substantially horizontal tobacco supporting and feeding surface and a member which cooperates with this surface for confining tobacco therein, and movable devices which coact with said member in controlling the feed of tobacco from the hopper and along the feeding surface.

With these and other objects not specifically mentioned in view, the invention consists in certain combinations and constructions which will be hereinafter fully described, and then set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings which form a in my above referred to applicationin which an'electric vibrator I5 is adjustably mounted on elements: 1 Y

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation showing the preferred form of my invention for feeding small short filler tobacco; l y

Figure 2 is a partial sectional end elevation taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1; y

Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation showing a modified form of a tobacco confining member;

Figure 4 is a partial view of a modified form' of confining plate;

Figure 5 is a side view showing mechanism'for intermittently vibrating the .hoper and oscillating the rakes;

Figure 6 is a section taken on line 8 6 of Figure5;and

Figure 7, is a suitable wiring diagram for use in intermittently vibrating the hopper and oscillating the rakes.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 which show the preferred form of my invention. Ill designatesa hopper employed for feeding short lier tobacco which may take substantially the form as that disclosed in my co-pending application,` Serial No. 193,244. led Marchi, 1938, and wherein the i f hopper isprovided with side walls IIIa, a rear. t

wall lub and a bottom tobacco supporting surface luc having an outlet chute Il onto which the tobacco is fed from the, supply duringthe v feeding operation of the hopper. Asshown in Figures l, 2 and 5, surfaces IIIc and II are joined.- by a step or shoulder formed integrally.there-ffA with.

Hopper III, in the form shown, is resiiiently supported by means of -ieaf springs I4 bolted to lugs Ilaprojecting from .the bottom of the hopper (as shown in Figure 1) and is intermittently i vvibrated by means of a suitable device, described hereinafter, such for instance as thatv described a base block `I6`suitab1y attached to' the framel F of themachine.vv Extending upwardly from the 1 frame of the machine are pedestals 2|, 22 supporting at their upper ends, a housing-20. Housing 20 provides a mount for rakes I2 which'are suspended from a bar I'l and rakes I3 vwhich p roject from a bar I8, which bars are pivoted at their centers on a 'stud I9 mounted in the housl ing 2li.A One end of bar Il is pivotally connected t`o an operating lever 2l, and an end of bar Il is connected in a similar manner to lever 23, bothoperating. levers being pivoted on a stud and provided at their free ends with cam followers 26 and 21, respectively, which engage the track of a drum cam 23 mounted on a rotating vertical shaft 23 supported in pedestal 22.

. As shown in Figure 1, the tobacco confining member 30 is adjustably mounted on the rear face of housing 23. 'I'he plate is mounted rearwardly of the step or shoulder joining surfaces Inc and II, land is arranged between the side walls Illa and substantially at right angles thereto, and is also located at substantial right angles with the tobacco supporting surface Ic and is spaced therefrom a predetermined distance in order to allow a portion of the tobacco, which it confines in the hopper, between the side and rear walls, to flow therebeneath onto the discharge or outlet chute II for delivery to a cigar machine. In the illustrated embodiment, member 33 is shown as comprised of a solid plate but if desired, this member could be composed of several closely positioned plates which would effect the same desired result. Plate 33, in this case (as shown in Figure 1) is made of a single piece of metal and is provided with slots 3l through which pass screws 321 by means of which 1t is adjustably and detachably secured to housing' 23 in order that the space between the bottom of plate 30 and tobacco supporting surface IIIe can be adjusted readilyy to control the tobacco passing through the aperture formed by the plate and surface I 3c.

In Figure 4, the modified form mentioned hereinabove is shown, the tobacco conning member is made up of a. plurality of closely spaced plates 30a each provided with an elongated slot 3Ia through which project screws 32 by means of which the plates 30a are positioned at a proper heighth above the deck of the hopper IIIc.

According to Figure 3, which shows a modled form of my invention, a two-piece confining member is shown. This member consists of an upper part 33. which is detachably fixed to housing 20 by means of screws 32, while the lower portion 34 is provided with slots 33 through which project bolts 35 constructed and arranged to allow plate 34 to be moved relatively to and vertically with respect to plate 33 to control the height of plate 34 above surface IIic.

It will be seen, therefore, that my tobacco confining and flow control plate is adapted for selecf tive operation either with or without rakes I2, I3. That is, whenever the tobacco is very small, the plate can be used without the rakes and substantially the same eect would -be obtained in the uniform feed of'tobacco from the confining portion of the hopper between the bottom edge of the plate 33 and the discharge surface I I of the hopper. So also, if larger tobacco is to be fed, the plate 30 may be removed entirely in order that the rakes will act both to confine the tobacco in the hopper and control the feedtherefrom alongthe discharge portion II thereof.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show suitable mechanism for intermittently vibrating the hopper and oscillating rakes I2, I3 for feeding tobacco from y motion of the rakes I2, I3.

Tobacco passing through the aperture formed f by vertical plate 33 and surface IIic and between rakes I2, I3 is fed over surface II to a scale pan P located beneath the discharge lip of the hopper (as shown in Figure 5). Pan P. as in my copending application referred to hereinabove, consists of a substantially vertical plate 13 mounted on arm 13 fixed on shaft 1I carried by bracket 13 secured to bracket 13. Pivotally mounted on studs 33 carried by the upper portion of plate 13 is a scale receptacle 3l which with plate 10 forms the pan P.

Whenever a predetermined quantity of tobacco has been fed into scale pan P, it swings downwardly on shaft I4 thereby causing a mercury switch 3|, connected in an electric circuit (see Figure '1) to break the circuit and de-energize vibrator I3. 'Ihis operation stops the vibrating motion of hopper III, and the oscillation of rakes I2, I3, thereby discontinuing the feed of tobacco to pan P.. The rake oscillation is interrupted upon-the de-energization of relay R by means of solenoid |33 which is tie-energized, thereby causing armature |02 connected by link I 0I to lever |33 to withdraw lug Ill from engagement with finger |03 of pawl 33 against the tension of spring |33. Pawl I3 will move into engagement with ratchet 33 causing ball clutch 61 on shaft 23 to disengage the latter from the variablel speed drive and thereby also stop the motion of rakes I2, I3. Lever |03 is pivotally mounted on a stud shaft 33 connected by bearing lug 33 (Figures 5 and 6). When the machine is running, line switch IIS is closed.

The invention above described may be varied i in construction within the scope of the claims.

the hopper. Hopper I3 is vibrated and rakes I2,

I3joscillated intermittently by mechanism similar to that disclosed in my co-pending applica-f tion hereinabove referred to. Referring to Figures 5, 6 and 7, vertical rake operating shaft 23 is drivenl intermittently by means of a conventional type ball clutch 31 (Figure 6) from a conventional variable speed drive designated' generally D secured in housing 36 (Figure 5). This for the particular device, selected to illustrate the invention, is but one of many possible concrete embodiments of the same. It is not, therefore, to be restricted to the precise detalls of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is: y

l. In a tobacco feeding mechanism for cigar machines, the combination with a hopper provided with an upstanding back, connecting side walls and a substantially horizontal bottom provided with a discharge section, of a vertical support, relatively movable rakes comprising closely spaced downwardly extending prongs mounted in said support and positioned with their free ends proximate said bottom, and a plate mounted on said support and located between said side walls for confining tobacco in said hopper, said plate being so constructed and arranged that tobacco confined in said hopper may move beneath said plate and between said prongs of said rakes.

2. In a tobacco feeding device for cigar machines, the combination with a tobacco confining member provided with a substantially horizontal bottom supporting surface, a discharge l section positioned in a plane substantially parallel to but below said surface and integrally joined thereto,'of a support, a stationary tobacco connning plate mounted on said support and located above and at an angle to said bottom supporting surface and spaced therefrom to form a feed aperture for tobacco, a plurality of rakes comprising closely spaced depending ngers located above said section with `their ends adjacent said surface but below the level thereof, and means for moving said rakes to allow'tobaccoA fed'beneath said plate to pass between said :fingers and from said bulk supply mounted on said support and located above and at an angle to said bottom supporting surface and spaced therefrom to form a feed aperture for tobacco, and a plurality of relatively movable rakes positioned closely adjacentsaid aperture coacting with saidl plate and surface to distribute tobacco fed through said aperture from said hopper between said rakes upon said section.

4. In a tobacco feeding device for cigar machines, the combination with a tobacco confining mechanism provided with a substantially horizontal bottom supporting surface constructed and arranged to support a bulk supply of tobacco which is unreplenished during a large number of cycles of operationof the machine, and a discharge section, of a support, a plate member mounted on said support and located above and at an angle to said bottom supporting surface and spaced therefrom to confine said bulk supply of tobacco in said hopper and form the sole feeding aperture for tobacco to be fed from said supply, a plurality of rakes coacting with said member and surface, and means for eecting rel` ative motion between said surface, rakes and plate for feeding tobacco through said aperture and past said rakes over said section.

5. In a feeding device for short filler cigar machines, the combination with a hopper provided with a generally horizontal supporting and feeding surface, said hopper having spaced side walls and a connecting rear wall, of means for intermittently vibrating said hopper to feed tobacco to said surface, stationary means spaced from said surface a predetermined distance to control the quantity of tobacco fed during the vibration of said surface, and a plurality of movable rakes also located above said surface, adjacent to and coacting with said means in feeding said tobacco therebetween from said hopper.

6. In a tobacco feeding device for short filler cigar machines having a hopper provided with end and side walls, and a bottom supporting surface containing a bulk supply of tobacco sumcient to form a large number of cigars and a feeding surface for tobacco fed from said bulk supply,

' and means for intermittently vibrating said hopper and the entire bulk supply of tobacco contained therein to feed controlled quantities therefrom, a plate located at substantially right angles and closely adjacent to said side walls and above said surface for confining tobacco in said hopy per, means for mounting said platea predetermined distance above said surface to control the quantity of tobacco issuing from said supply contained in said hopper in a stream during each vibration of said hopper, rakes coacting with said plate in feeding said .tobacco therebetween as it moves beneath said plate for movement over said surface, and means for intermittently oscillating said rakes.

7. In a tobacco feeding device for a cigar machine, the combination with a tobacco confining mechanism provided with a substantially horizontal bottom supporting surface and a discharge section, of a support. a plate member mounted 4above said surface and forming an aperture therewith coacting with said surface to confine tobacco and prevent unlimited feed thereof along said surface, a plurality of rakes coacting with said plate and surface, means for moving said rakes across said aperture, meansfor effecting relative motion between said surface and plate Vduring the movement of said rakes for feeding tobacco through said aperture past said moving rakes in a stream onto said section, and means for detachably mounting said member for selec tive operation on said support.

8. In a material feeding device, an open receptacle provided with an elongated bottom and material enclosing upstanding back and side walls means for mounting said receptacle to support it with the bottom thereof in a substantially horizontal plane, said bottom being provided with a single transverse connecting shoulder forming an integral part of said hopper, and dividing said hopper bottom into' a tobacco holding portion wherein that portion of the bottom bounded by said side and back wallsis inclined downwardly and rearwardly from the horizontal plane towards said back wall and downwardly and rearwardly from the horizontal plane towards said back wall and downwardly curved between said side walls, and a bottom tobacco feeding portion lying in a plane below the first-named bottomv portion and over which a stream of tobacco may be fed, said feeding portion being inclined downwardly from a horizontal plane in a diretcion opv posite to the inclination of said first-named portion, astationary support above said hopper, a

stationary plate mounted on said support and located above the surface of said tobacco holding portion and rearwardly of said shoulder, means detachably mounting said plate on said support, and means for vibrating said hopper to feed tobacco beneath said stationary plate and from said hopper. y

9. A material feeding hopper of the vibratory type comprising a receptacle provided with back and side walls rising substantially vertically from an elongated bottom surface having a discharge sectionA and an integrally connected tobacco holding section arranged at an angle inclining downwardly'and'rearwardly from a horizontal plane between said side walls towards said back walls to contain a mass of tobacco, asingle transverse shoulder forming an integral part of said hopper bottom positioning said tobacco holding section vertically above said discharge section, said surface of said discharge section being inclined downwardlyfrom a horizontal plane in a direction opposite to the inclination of said hold- Y ing section, means for resiliently supporting 'said hopper, a support, a platel member detachably mounted on said support and located above said tobacco holding section and rearwardly of said shoulder, said plate being constructed and arranged to hold back said mass of tobacco in said hopper and form with the surface of said section a delivery aperture for tobacco, and means for intermittently vibrating said hopper and the mass `of tobacco thereinto feed as'tream of tobacco beneath said plate from said holding section and over said discharge section oi.' said hopper.

type comprising a receptacle provided with back andside walls rising, substantially vertically from an elongated bottom surface having a discharge section and an integrally connected tobacco holding section arranged at an angle inclining downwardly and rearwardly fromv a horizontal plane between said side walls towards said back walls to contain a, mass of tobacco, a single transverse shoulder forming anintegral part of said hopper bottom positioning said tobacco holding section vertically above vsaid discharge section, said surface of said discharge section being inclined downwardlyirom a horizontal plane in a direction opposite to -the inclination of said holding section, a tobacco confining plate member -located 10. A material feeding hopper of the vibratory land means for vibrating said hopper and the entire mass of tobacco therein to feed a stream of tobacco beneath said plate member from' said holding section and over said discharge section from said hopper.

- JAMES P. DURNING. 

